By Ling Hui and Karen Bong
KUCHING, May 10: The lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates derived from algae biomass have the capacity to generate an annual economic value of RM2 to 3 billion, which will provide an additional revenue stream for Sarawak.
Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said this when highlighting economic potential from the sale of algae biomass components during the launch of Sarawak and Malaysia’s first industrial microalgae production facility, known as Chitose Carbon Capture Central Sarawak (C4 Sarawak), at Sarawak Energy Berhad’s Sejingkat Power Plant today.
Based on an average value of USD6.50 per tonne of carbon credit, the facility also has the potential to generate USD1.3 million per year in revenue from its current five-hectare site.
“Preliminary estimates from Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) indicate that a commercial plant spanning 2,000 hectares could yield up to 140,000 tonnes of algae biomass annually.
“Depending on the technology employed, a five-hectare site could generate approximately 350 tonnes of biomass, resulting in 87 tonnes of lipid suitable for producing about 45 tonnes of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF),” Abang Johari said when launching the facility at Sejingkat Power Plant in Jalan Bako here today.
He said the SAF market is projected to exceed USD250 billion by 2030 as the aviation industry places greater emphasis on sustainability.
In addition to lipid production, the biomass facility could also yield 192 tonnes of protein and 52 tonnes of carbohydrate that would further diversify potential product offerings.
Abang Johari disclosed that the algae biomass generated by the C4 Sarawak facility holds immense potential for various high-quality applications, including in food and feed production, cosmetics, pharmaceutical ingredients, and notably SAF which presents a significant economic opportunity for Sarawak.
As a start, this five-hectare site will serve as a good example of managing carbon in a circular economy, while Sarawak gathers data to enhance the technology as well as scale it up to 100 hectares and expand it to 2,000 hectares in the future if deemed commercially viable.
“With a 2,000-hectare facility, we can also create up to 5,000 new job opportunities and decarbonise about 200,000 tonnes of carbon annually,” Abang Johari said.
Acknowledging the nascent nature of the emerging industry and its potential short-term costs, Abang Johari expressed his belief that the algae industry holds long-term viability.
“The Sarawak government will continue to support this algae project as much as possible, with the aim of promoting and achieving our Green Agenda in line with our aspirations and goals for 2030,” he added. — DayakDaily
